What the F%*k Episode 5: French Press Hacks

If only we'd thought of these things sooner.

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I grew up in a French press household. My dad’s weekend ritual involved making a cup of decaf coffee in his single-serve French press and stirring in just a touch of milk. You want to know what else we did with that French press? Nothing. The only thing that’s ever touched that French press is coffee beans and hot water.

As someone who hates coffee, I had no clue what to do with a French press I received as a gift last summer. In the end, I gave it away to someone who thrives off her morning cup of joe, but I’m now majorly regretting that decision. As it turns out, there are so many ways to use a French press that have nothing to do with coffee. Here are eight hacks that will help you get the most use out of your beloved French press.

Steep loose leaf tea

Meredith Simmons

As a tea lover, I’m a bit embarrassed I didn’t think of this hack sooner. For the perfect cup of tea, steep green tea for three minutes and black teas for five. Be sure and rinse out the tea leaves immediately after you’re finished using them so they don’t stain your French press.

Infuse warm milk

Alex Frank

Whether you’re craving a warm cup of milk or want to get fancy with your morning latte, infusing milk with a French press is super easy. Pour warm milk into the press, then add any spices you like. Cinnamon, star anise, and vanilla beans are a great place to start, but you can add anything you’d like here. Once it’s steeped to your liking, pour your flavored milk into your beverage of choice.

Rinse your grains

Christin Urso

With this trick, you never have to worry about pieces of quinoa falling through the holes in your colander again. Just put your desired amount of quinoa into the French press, add in enough water to cover it, and work the plunger up and down until the water runs clear.

#SpoonTip: This works well for rice and farro as well.

Squeeze excess water from veggies

Lora Maghen

Gone are the days of patting shredded vegetables between paper towels. Place your veggies of choice in the French press and slowly lower the plunger until water begins to seep out. Pour out the liquid and continue until the veggies are sufficiently dry.

Froth your milk

Liz Margaretha

Bring Starbucks to your kitchen by frothing your own milk. Simply pour warm milk into the French press and move the plunger up and down until the milk reaches your desired level of frothiness.

Self-clean your press

Ditch the soapy sponge the next time you clean your French press. Pour in some warm water and a squirt of dish soap, then work the plunger up and down until you’re left with a clean, soapy press.

Make homemade pressed juice

Jocelyn Hsu

This is arguably to coolest hack on this list. Put your choice of cubed fruit into the French press, mash it a bit with a spoon to get the juices flowing, and then press the plunger down firmly to squeeze out the juice.

#SpoonTip: This won’t work for harder fruits like apples, so stick to soft fruits like watermelons and citrus fruits.

Never mix hot and cold ingredients

Jocelyn Hsu

This isn’t a hack, per se, but rather a piece of invaluable life advice. You should never put something hot into a French press followed immediately by something cold (and vice versa). For example, after you’ve emptied out the piping hot coffee, don’t immediately rinse it out with cold tap water. Your French press will shatter, and you’ll be left picking shards of glass off the countertop.

To prevent this from happening, let the glass of the French press come to room temperature between uses.

I’m seriously amazed by these hacks and am kicking myself for not thinking of them sooner. I knew there were lots of egg hacks and peanut butter hacks, but I hadn’t thought to use a French press for anything other than coffee before. If you were on the fence about buying a French press, I hope this article convinced you it’s worth investing in one.